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Counseling Center Staff 2007-08

Ira Addes is a psychiatric consultant. A diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology as well as the American Board of Internal Medicine, he was educated at Brooklyn College and received his M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine. He completed a three-year internal medicine residency at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA, and practiced internal medicine for four years prior to returning for his training in psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Medical Center. He has been in active psychiatric practice in this area since 1983, consulting for several local agencies and programs while maintaining an active private practice. He has extensive experience working with survivors of childhood trauma and abuse as well as individuals with concomitant medical concerns. He believes strongly in the biopsychosocial model, and maintains a strong interest in the integration of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology.

Jacqueline Bearce is the Director of the Counseling Center. She received her B.A. from Merrimack College and has a Masters degree in Special Education as well as a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology. Her Ed.D. in Counseling Psychology is from the University of Massachusetts. She has clinical experience in public and private mental health centers and in various college and community settings. Her training and experience in individual psychotherapy address humanistic, psychodynamic, behavioral and cognitive frameworks. She is particularly skilled in working with adjustment issues, depression, anxiety, bereavement, spirituality, and identity issues. She is an African-American psychologist who is concerned with how human diversity, for example, race, gender and class affect goal attainment, communication and interpersonal effectiveness. She incorporates multicultural competence in training and supervision. Dr. Bearce is also on the faculty of Cambridge College in the Department of Counseling Psychology.

Michele Chaplen was educated at Smith College, received a B.A. in education and a M.Ed. in special education. She is currently working on her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England. Previously, Michele worked as a middle and high school Teacher of the Deaf at the Willie Ross School, and later as the assistant director of Student Disabilities Services at Western New England College. She has continued as an adjunct faculty member at WNEC, teaching sign language and Deaf studies. Michele's clinical training has been at The Devereux Foundation, an acute residential treatment center. Her professional interests are varied and include identity development, stress/anxiety management, trauma recovery, and relational approaches to therapy.

Martha Dunn received her B.A. in Political Science from Barnard College. She earned her M.S. and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University New England. Additionally, Martha was trained as a substance abuse counselor at the National Council for Alcoholism and other Drug Addictions in White Plains, NY. After her internship at the Counseling Center at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, she completed a fellowship at the Cambridge Eating Disorder Center. Martha’s approach to therapy is integrative and primarily informed by psychodynamic, interpersonal and behavioral theories. She is particularly interested in varied cultural experiences and inequities as they relate to human development and psychotherapy. Martha’s clinical interests include, but are not limited to, addictive disorders, adjustment issues, eating disorders, and the recovery from the impact of trauma.

Debra Edelman received her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. After her clinical internship at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Leeds, MA, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, MA. She has a private practice in Amherst, MA. Her theoretical orientation integrates psychodynamic concepts with cognitive-behavioral techniques, including biofeedback and hypnosis. Her clinical interests include alcohol and substance abuse, anxiety and panic disorders, sexuality and sexual orientation issues, eating disorders and stress management.

Jennifer Fyler is a psychiatric consultant. A board certified psychiatrist, she practices in many settings in the Valley. She graduated from Harvard Medical School and trained in psychiatry at Cambridge Hospital. After residency, she completed a two-year fellowship in psychodynamic psychotherapy. She also has a PhD in Comparative Literature, and in her work she uses cross-cultural and interdisciplinary frameworks relevant to psychiatry. She is committed to the integration of psychotherapy and medication. In addition to psychopharmacology, she has particular interests in mood disorders, trauma and cross-cultural psychiatry.

Darien McFadden received his BA in psychology and English Literature from Colgate University and his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his clinical internship at the University of Massachusetts Mental Health Services, and worked as a psychotherapist at the Amherst College Counseling Center from 1992 to 1998. Following that, Darien worked at the Pioneer Valley Mental Health Clinic and the Center For Psychological and Family Services, both in Springfield, MA. He has a private practice in Northampton, MA. Darien's clinical interests are varied and include sexual orientation, gender and coming-out issues, conflicts around race, culture and ethnicity, male and female body-image issues, stress/anxiety management and trauma.

George Phillips is a psychologist who completed his B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania and his Psy.D. at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. He joined the Amherst College Counseling Center staff in 2002. He also has a private practice in Northampton. He trained at the Brandeis University Counseling Center and in the Behavioral Medicine Program at Cambridge Hospital. He brings a well-informed, eclectic approach to his work at the Counseling Center. His professional interests are far-ranging and include the nature of the psychotherapeutic process, the history of psychoanalytic theory, the integration of theoretical approaches in psychotherapy, sexual development in relationships and a general focus on issues of race, class, culture and politics in individual development.

Dhara Thakar is currently undergoing her doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She received her B.A.in Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and comes to this area after working on a risk assessment and behavioral intervention for HIV+ patients at the University of California San Francisco. Her work is informed by previous experiences serving populations who face unique challenges and have limited access to mental health care. She strives to be especially sensitive to the systemic context of individuals, and uses an integrative lens in her therapeutic approach. Her plans for the future include pursuing work with children, adolescents, and families with a keen focus on the intersection of cultural variables with family dynamics.